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| Semester | spring semester 2020 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers |
Kenny R. Cupers (kenny.cupers@unibas.ch, Assessor)
Emilio Distretti (emilio.distretti@unibas.ch) Manuel Herz (manuel.herz@unibas.ch) |
| Content | The University of Basel offers its third Critical Urbanisms Winter School with an interdisciplinary focus on the European border regime. This course introduces students from a range of disciplinary backgrounds to urban studies by providing them with explorative skills in spatial analysis and critical thinking on the politics of migration. At the time of writing, newspapers reports warn of catastrophe resulting from the increasingly untenable, dehumanizing conditions under which people are trapped in vastly overcrowded camps on Greek islands and in Libyan prisons on the southern shores. Meanwhile, the EU tackles the so-called “migration crisis” by sealing its land and sea borders, criminalizing assistance to migrants in distress, and striving to re-distribute refugees and asylum seekers among its member states. How did migration become Europe’s existential question, and how do its policies to stem migration shape lived realities on the ground across Europe, the Mediterranean region, and far beyond? This course contextualizes these contemporary conditions and political uncertainties in the longer history of population displacement, refugee policies, migration management, and the transformation of borders. It explores the increasing entanglement between humanitarian intervention and securitization, and how this entanglement spurs both the illegalization of migrants and the systematic violation of their human rights. Of particular interest in this regard is the role of infrastructure, architecture, and planning in shaping migration policies and their implementation. Using a range of methods from mapping to media analysis, this course trains students to study the concrete spaces, physical infrastructures, and technical procedures by which state institutions and a range of other actors govern migration. Over the course of five intensive days, students will be led through a series of lectures, seminars, and workshops that equip them with foundational analytical skills in urban studies. |
| Comments | This is a one-week block course from 3 - 7 February 2020. |
| Admission requirements | Please note: You can only attend this course if you submit the preparatory work as explained below. In preparation for the class, you will write four 600-800 word essays discussing the readings for each seminar day. The goal of the analysis essay is to: 1. Summarize and explain the arguments that the authors are making. 2. Compare the arguments, methods, and positions of the different authors. 3. Illustrate that you can think analytically about arguments and evidence. You will find the syllabus and pdfs of the readings on ADAM. You need to upload your four essays on ADAM, at the latest by 30 January at 5pm. You are expected to have read all the submitted essays prior to the class. You should be prepared to speak about all the required readings in the seminars. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|
No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Modul: Areas: transnational - global (Master's degree program: European History (Start of studies before 01.08.2018)) Modul: Erweiterung Gesellschaftswissenschaften B.A. (Bachelor's degree subject: Political Science) Modul: Erweiterung Gesellschaftswissenschaften M.A. (Master's degree subject: Political Science) Modul: Fields: Environment and Development (Master's degree program: African Studies) Modul: Fields: Governance and Politics (Master's degree program: African Studies) Modul: Kulturtechnische Dimensionen (Master's degree program: Cultural Techniques) Modul: Materialitäten (Master's degree program: Cultural Techniques) Modul: Profil: Geschichte Afrikas (Master's degree program: European History (Start of studies before 01.08.2018)) Modul: Research Lab Kulturanthropologie (Master's degree subject: Cultural Anthropology) Modul: Transfer: Europa interdisziplinär (Master's degree program: European History in Global Perspective) Modul: Ungleichheit, Konflikt, Kultur (Master's degree subject: Sociology) Module: Migration, Mobility and Transnationalism (Master's degree program: Changing Societies: Migration – Conflicts – Resources) Module: Projects and Processes of Urbanization (Master's degree program: Critical Urbanisms) Vertiefungsmodul Global Europe: Arbeit, Migration und Gesellschaft (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Urban Studies |